State to fix blocked Little Lagoon pass

Little Lagoon pass has been blocked by sand since last week and the state is working to get the water flow back through the pass from Little Lagoon to the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo courtesy of Chip Drago)

GULF SHORES, Alabama -- Water flow through Little Lagoon pass has been blocked by sand since last week and the state says it should be fixed by Tuesday morning.

"I don’t think I’ve ever seen it like this," Barney Gass, president of the Little Lagoon Preservation Society, said Monday. "It’s bad."

But, he said, the state and city have handled the blocked pass off West Beach Boulevard according to the court order. The city of Gulf Shores tests the depth of the pass, which must be less than 90 square feet for a 10-day period before the state is notified, he said.

The state is responsible for maintaining water quality and water transfer at the pass, which links the Gulf and the 2,225-acre, environmentally sensitive estuary. The city surveys the inlet once a week to make sure water can flow through, Gulf Shores officials said.

When the pass is less than 90 square feet, a notification is triggered and the state has 72 hours to restore the water flow, according to Gass. The trigger was hit last Thursday and the state was notified the next day, he said.

"It’s being monitored," said Matt Ericksen, a construction engineer for the Alabama Department of Transportation in Mobile. When the storm front went through last week it completely blocked the pass, he said.

Crowder Gulf, the state-hired contractor, was bringing equipment in Monday and will start excavating, he said Monday. "It should be open no later than tomorrow morning."

The lagoon is home to a mix of saltwater and freshwater life, which makes it important to keep the water flow open, according to the city.

Was Little Lagoon damaged from the blockage? Probably not, according to Gass.

"We have our testers out and we’ll know a little bit more soon," he said. The water quality tests are done at five different sites in the lagoon, he said. The tests are then sent to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and the data should be ready by the end of the week, he said

The results will be posted on the Little Lagoon Preservation Society’s website, www.littlelagoon.org.